Cold Wave Slides Up Imperceptibly In Delhi-NCR

Cold wave conditions sweeping across Delhi and National Capital Region(NCR)and several parts of north India, eased up slightly in the national capital, with the temperature climbing slightly on Thursday morning to 5.8° Celsius. The maximum temperature for the day is expected to cross 19° Celsius. North India has been reeling under severe cold wave conditions with minimum temperature in New Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR)plummeting to as low as 2° Celsius.

Monday marked the coldest day in 119 years in the national capital. More than 200 shelters for the homeless were filled with people unable to bear the bitingly cold conditions. Media reports put the death toll in UP alone at 28. It is believed that more people die of unbearably cold conditions in winter, as opposed to heat waves which sweep across several parts of the country in summer.

Other parts of North India have also been in the grip of cold wave conditions over the past few days with Ludhiana proving to be the coldest place in Punjab and Haryana, recording 0.3° Celsius, well below normal. Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan recorded 1.5° Celsius. Trains to and from Delhi ran late due to poor visibility, while flights also got affected.

Road traffic across most parts of northern India has been severely impacted over the last few days owing to low visibility. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is reported to have stated that the air-quality recorded in many parts of Delhi was in the ‘severe’ category. With insufficient sunshine, the national capital sports a bleak look.